@article{ART002869951},
author={Heebon Park-Finch},
title={Narratives of Schizophrenia on Stage and Screen: Joe Penhall’s Some Voices},
journal={Journal of Modern English Drama},
issn={1226-3397},
year={2022},
volume={35},
number={2},
pages={111-142}
TY - JOUR
AU - Heebon Park-Finch
TI - Narratives of Schizophrenia on Stage and Screen: Joe Penhall’s Some Voices
JO - Journal of Modern English Drama
PY - 2022
VL - 35
IS - 2
PB - 한국현대영미드라마학회
SP - 111
EP - 142
SN - 1226-3397
AB - This paper examines Joe Penhall’s stage play Some Voices (1994) and its 2000 screen adaptation, focusing on the treatment of schizophrenia, violence, adjustment to the metropolis, and recovery from mental illness. Set in London, the play addresses institutional shortcomings in the ‘Care in the Community’ policy, as they impact a young schizophrenic (Ray), his elder caregiving brother (Pete), Ray’s object of affection (Laura), her abusive boyfriend (Dave), and a long-time psychiatric inmate (Ives). Penhall’s ‘In-yer-face’ drama foregrounds a relatively excluded subject, identifying the confusion, fear, anxiety, and interpersonal challenges experienced by the schizophrenic protagonist, along with the emotional pressures imposed on those in his immediate circle of acquaintance. Suggesting the chance of recovery through understanding and consideration, the play invites reflection and empathy, while rejecting the stereotypical stigma of mental health issues. In contrast, the cinematic adaptation, directed by Simon Cellan Jones, takes the form of a sanitized romance, shifting the focus from mental health to surviving in the metropolis, and omitting provocative and violent scenes in the play. Further mitigation of personal, social, and national issues related to schizophrenia patients consequently dilutes the socio-political urgency and weakens the play’s controversial edge. In conclusion, this study argues that if Penhall’s play aims to voice the often ignored concerns of mental health patients, the film version has in fact silenced and alienated these very voices through its shift of focus, thus highlighting various issues resonant in the philosophy of film adaptation.
KW - Penhall;Some Voices;In-yer-face;adaptation;schizophrenia;‘Care in the Community’ policy
DO -
UR -
ER -
Heebon Park-Finch. (2022). Narratives of Schizophrenia on Stage and Screen: Joe Penhall’s Some Voices. Journal of Modern English Drama, 35(2), 111-142.
Heebon Park-Finch. 2022, "Narratives of Schizophrenia on Stage and Screen: Joe Penhall’s Some Voices", Journal of Modern English Drama, vol.35, no.2 pp.111-142.
Heebon Park-Finch "Narratives of Schizophrenia on Stage and Screen: Joe Penhall’s Some Voices" Journal of Modern English Drama 35.2 pp.111-142 (2022) : 111.
Heebon Park-Finch. Narratives of Schizophrenia on Stage and Screen: Joe Penhall’s Some Voices. 2022; 35(2), 111-142.
Heebon Park-Finch. "Narratives of Schizophrenia on Stage and Screen: Joe Penhall’s Some Voices" Journal of Modern English Drama 35, no.2 (2022) : 111-142.
Heebon Park-Finch. Narratives of Schizophrenia on Stage and Screen: Joe Penhall’s Some Voices. Journal of Modern English Drama, 35(2), 111-142.
Heebon Park-Finch. Narratives of Schizophrenia on Stage and Screen: Joe Penhall’s Some Voices. Journal of Modern English Drama. 2022; 35(2) 111-142.
Heebon Park-Finch. Narratives of Schizophrenia on Stage and Screen: Joe Penhall’s Some Voices. 2022; 35(2), 111-142.
Heebon Park-Finch. "Narratives of Schizophrenia on Stage and Screen: Joe Penhall’s Some Voices" Journal of Modern English Drama 35, no.2 (2022) : 111-142.
